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Even the Fonz knows that Robin Williams had a je ne sais quoi he couldn't compete with.
Henry Winkler recalled Williams' audition for Mork the Orkan onHappy Days. He shared that theGood Will Huntingactor seemed "unassuming" on first sight. Once the comedian got a script in his hand, Winkler saw the magic in the then up-and-coming Williams.
"All I thought about was, 'Know your lines so you don't have to do it over and over again and stay out of his way because you will never stand toe-to-toe with this Mount Vesuvius of an imagination,'" Winkler said during a Fan Expo San Francisco panel, which was captured byIt's Rec Time Mediaon TikTok.
Courtesy Everett Collection
Williams rose to prominence as the quirky, comical alien Mork, first as a guest star onHappy Daysand then as the protagonist of its spin-offMork & Mindy.His show ran for four seasons between 1978 and 1982.
TheBarryactor recalled the late comedian's improv skills. He said thatMork & Mindyscripts were half the size ofHappy Daysones because writers would leave space for Williams to do his own thing.
"It said, 'Robin will say something here," Winkler recounted.
Courtesy Everett Collection
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Williams died by suicide in 2014 at the age of 63. Shortly after his death, Winkler paid tribute to theDead Poets Societystar and his talents in aninterview withToday. He similarly remarked on Williams' role as Mork and his colorful imagination.
"This man was from another plane," the Fonzie actor said at the time. "His imagination flew out of him, out of every pore like a torrent."
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